Chapati, also known as roti, is a whole wheat flatbread, which is similar to the Mexican whole wheat tortilla. Like most Indians from the northern region of India, I grew up eating hotchapatis with dinner as the basic bread of the meal.
Makes 8 flatbreads
Prep time: 15 minutes + 30 minutes resting (dough can be made up to 2 days in advance)
Cook time: 80 seconds per flatbread
Refrigerator life: 2 days, but tastes best freshly made and served hot
Freezer life: 1 month (Place a sheet of parchment paper between each flatbread before freezing to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then place the stack in an airtight container, plastic bag or tightly wrapped in foil)
Reheating Method: Place the refrigerated or defrosted flatbread in the microwave and heat. Or, place the bread on a skillet on medium-high heat, flipping frequently
1¼ cups (150 g) chapati flour (substitute 1 cup/120 g whole wheat flour plus ¼ cup/30 g all-purpose flour), plus extra flour for dusting
½ cup (125 ml) water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (optional)
Making and Forming the Dough
1 Place the flour and water in a medium bowl. Using one hand, thoroughly knead the dough for about 5 minutes, using all the loose flour to form a soft and smooth dough. Shape the dough into a ball.
2 Moisten the inside of a clean bowl with water and place the dough ball in the bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, or you may refrigerate up to 2 days.
3 Knead the rested dough for 1 minute. If the dough was refrigerated, let the dough come to room temperature to make it easier to knead. (If the dough is too sticky, dust with a bit of loose flour as needed.)
4 Place a large cast-iron skillet (with a low rim to allow easy flipping) over high heat.
5 While the skillet is heating up, separate the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth ball and then slightly flatten it between your palms.
6 Working with 1 flattened dough ball at a time, dip both sides of the flattened dough ball in loose flour. Place on a flat rolling surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough ball into a circle about 5 inches (12.5 cm) across. You may flip and turn the circle while gently rolling to help you get an even thickness and a round shape. Dust with loose flour as needed, but try to use as little extra flour as possible.
Cooking the Flatbread
1 When the skillet is hot, carefully slide the rolled-out circle onto your palm and place it on the skillet. The skillet must be hot; otherwise the bread will become dry and hard. Cook for about 30 seconds, and then using a spatula, flip the bread. There should be some brown spots on the flipped side.
2 Cook for about 20 seconds and flip again. There should be brown spots on the flipped side.
3 Cook for 15 seconds, pressing down on the bread with the spatula to encourage the bread to puff up, and flip again.
4 Cook 15 seconds, pressing down on the bread with the spatula to ensure the bread is well cooked. Remove the puffed bread from the skillet. If desired, lightly spread ¼ teaspoon of the oil on it.
5 Continue to roll out and cook the remaining dough balls. Enjoy now or stack them and wrap tightly in foil to keep them warm until ready to serve. You may also refrigerate or freeze for later!
TIP When rolling out dough to make Indian breads, it is best to use as little loose flour for dusting as possible because the flour will burn and become grainy as the dough cooks. Traditionally, the dough is slapped between the palms before putting it on the skillet to shake off any excess loose flour, but this comes with a lot of practice and creates a bit of a mess! An easier way to decrease the amount of flour on the breads is to wipe any loose flour off your work surface before rolling out the next bread. Also, wipe the skillet with a dry cloth or paper towel after each bread is removed to prevent any loose flour on the skillet from sticking to the next bread as it cooks. Making flatbreads can get a bit messy and it may be hard to roll out a perfect circle, but don’t worry about the shape, but do try to get an even thickness for proper cooking. I simplify my life by often just buying Mexican whole wheat tortillas and heating them directly on the gas stove burner or on a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to get similar results!
How to Cook the Flatbreads
The rolled-out dough circle is carefully placed on a hot skillet.
There will be brown spots on the bread after flipping it.
Pressing down on the bread with the spatula will encourage the bread to puff up.
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